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meh. Edler is overrated. Hamhuis does all the heavy lifting in Vancouver.

?

Karlsson > Leetch

Whole-heartedly agreed on the bolded. Karlsson is one of a kind - there is no defenceman in the league like him. He is a superstar in the league, the first true one Ottawa's had (Chara doesn't count as his true value was appreciated when he moved to Boston to win a cup). Players like Alfie don't get true appreciation in their prime - and he was on Iggy, St. Louis, and Lecavalier level in his prime. Spezza is also underrated, but not on the Crosby, Malkin, Ovi, or Stamkos level of stardom. Karlsson is actually up there with the true elites, and I see no reason why he can't repeat his performance from last season. EK's Norris win won't be his last, and I won't be surprised to see this guy get at least a nomination for the Hart in the future. Back in 2003, I was laughed at by my friends when I told them Chara would win the Norris one day. They also thought I was crazy when I jumped on the K-wagon. Naysayers, don't laugh when I say that a Hart nomination for King-K is actually very likely in the not so distant future.

I do not agree with your stance on Edler and Hamhuis though. If the opportunity presents itself, I would pick Edler over Hamhuis 10 out of 10 times. Ham n' egger's not worth $4.5/year in my books. Hopefully, Edler is given a long look by BM if he becomes UFA next season.

Whole-heartedly agreed on the bolded. Karlsson is one of a kind - there is no defenceman in the league like him. He is a superstar in the league, the first true one Ottawa's had (Chara doesn't count as his true value was appreciated when he moved to Boston to win a cup). Players like Alfie don't get true appreciation in their prime - and he was on Iggy, St. Louis, and Lecavalier level in his prime. Spezza is also underrated, but not on the Crosby, Malkin, Ovi, or Stamkos level of stardom. Karlsson is actually up there with the true elites, and I see no reason why he can't repeat his performance from last season. EK's Norris win won't be his last, and I won't be surprised to see this guy get at least a nomination for the Hart in the future. Back in 2003, I was laughed at by my friends when I told them Chara would win the Norris one day. They also thought I was crazy when I jumped on the K-wagon. Naysayers, don't laugh when I say that a Hart nomination for King-K is actually very likely in the not so distant future.

I do not agree with your stance on Edler and Hamhuis though. If the opportunity presents itself, I would pick Edler over Hamhuis 10 out of 10 times. Ham n' egger's not worth $4.5/year in my books. Hopefully, Edler is given a long look by BM if he becomes UFA next season.

Karlsson is just... I can't believe he exists. I'm just speechless. He's certainly up there with Crosby, Malkin and Stamkos. They're all gods in their own different ways.

Karlsson is imo the 3rd best offensive d-man of all time behind Orr and Coffey. Hopefully he can surpass Coffey both offensively and defensively

I would probably pick Edler over Hamhuis too based solely on age and Swedishness. That said, Hamhuis has without a doubt outperformed Edler in Vancouver. Hamhuis is certainly worth $4.5M. At his current level he's probably worth $6M. He's a legit #1 D-man.

Karlsson is a simple player. I mean what more do you imagine when you think of him playing hockey than just skating the puck out, carrying it in or passing it, and shooting the puck a lot. Other dman can do some of those, Karlsson can do all and better than them.

It's almost as if Jokerit fans love him more than Sens fan do. I don't remember an ovation for him (yet) but we haven't seen him since his Norris nor had we had to say goodbye to him. Karlsson probably learned a little what it feels like to be Alfie.

It's almost as if Jokerit fans love him more than Sens fan do. I don't remember an ovation for him (yet) but we haven't seen him since his Norris nor had we had to say goodbye to him. Karlsson probably learned a little what it feels like to be Alfie.

Ice Hockey Magazine and SM-liiga have chosen Erik Karlsson as the player of the month (December) in SM-liiga. He showed why he was chosen as the best defenseman in NHL last season. He did what he wanted in the rink and had 4+11=15 points in 8 games. He was by far the best player in points in the league and helped Jokerit to solidify their number one spot. The award will be given to Karlsson when an appropriate time occurs.